Top 5 essential/cult metal albums.

The entire discography of Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, and POD... 😁

mellowrider50 said:The entire discography of Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, POD... and more.😁

You totally forgot Papa Roach🙄 😁

Master of Puppets Metallica.
Master of Puppets Metallica - Piece of Mind Iron Maiden... I mean, looking back at it now, it’s just one of those records that really sticks with you, isn't it? I guess I've spent way too many hours spinning this one. It’s got that specific energy—that driving, heavy atmosphere that feels like it could just pull you right under if you aren't careful. Maybe it's just me, but there's a certain weight to the production that feels much more deliberate than their earlier stuff. I suppose I find myself revisiting it whenever I need something a bit more substantial to sink my teeth into. Just one of those absolute classics, I guess.
I suppose I should mention... *Imaginations* by Iron Maiden. It’s just one of those albums that stays with you, isn't it? I find myself drifting back to it quite often. Maybe it's the atmosphere, or maybe I'm just getting older and more nostalgic. Either way, there's something about it... I can't quite put my finger on it. Just a feeling, I guess.
Nightfall by Blind Guardian... I mean, honestly, I suppose one could argue about its place in the genre, but I find myself returning to it quite often. It’s heavy, isn't it? Almost overwhelming at times. There's a certain weight to those melodies that stays with you. I guess I just find it hard to describe that specific feeling—that sense of impending darkness that the music seems to carry. It’s certainly a standout.
Karma Kamelot

Uh, I think I forgot about Nightwish - Atlantis: The Lost Empire 😎

Beast said:you forgot Papa Roach🙄 😁

It wasn't intentional; I just couldn't wrap my head around the name at the moment. I knew there were rats and some guy named Papa involved, but my brain kept drifting toward other weird associations, so I decided it wasn't worth typing out.😁

From what I used to listen to back in the day:

METALLICA - Master of Puppets

Lupuz said:I know I'm not breaking new ground here—this has been done a million times—but whatever. Might as well give someone a chance to discover some essential listening.

1. Pantera - Far Beyond Driven
Pure frustration and aggression, plus those anti-establishment vibes. The riffs are legendary. It works because it’s a cohesive concept album that paints a real picture of America and the state of the world.

2. Slayer - Reign in Blood
Aggression. Speed. All packed into 30 minutes. Angel of Death and Postmort are absolute speed classics.

3. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
Bruce sounds incredible on this. Tracks like Hallowed be Thy Name, Acacia Avenue, and Run to the Hills are just straight-up classics.

4. Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Another conceptual masterpiece that holds everything together. Great music, featuring Marty Friedman's debut, which is easily their best work. Those solos are killer. Tornado of Souls is my favorite.

5. Metallica - Master of Puppets
Who even listens to Metallica anymore? Still, this one is iconic. Kind of similar vibes to Megadeth's Rust in Peace.

Honorable mentions: Kreator - Extreme Aggressions, Death - Symbolic, King Diamond - Abigail, Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime, and Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory.

I'm with you on everything except Pantera. If I were making this list, I'd shuffle things around and swap Pantera out for AC/DC - Back in Black.

Here’s my personal stash of heavy hitters (Nu-metal, metal, and pretty much every subgenre under the sun!)😛

TOOL - Ænima
DEFTONES - Around the Fur
MACHINED HEAD - The More Things Change
SYSTEM OF A DOWN - System of a Down
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - Alive or Just Breathing
DISTURBED - The Sickness
AMEN - Amen
INCUBUS - S.c.i.e.n.c.e.
CRADLE OF FILTH - Cruelty and the Beast

That’s a little something to get the gears turning! 😛

Napalm Death / Metallica - Scum

Metallica - Justice for All

Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time (mostly for sentimental reasons)

Sepultura - Chaos A.D. (or maybe Arise?)

Terrorizer - World Downfall

Sure, let's just say AC/DC and Motörhead are being intentionally sidelined because I don't personally classify them as metal bands. If we were actually looking for the "top 5 most badass rock and roll albums," they’d definitely make the cut. (Though if it were up to me, I'd throw in an AC/DC record nobody actually likes, "Blow Up Your Video"... even if it leans more toward power-pop than pure rock'n'roll...)

swiftmaker20 said:It’s honestly a pleasure to see that a real black metal head like you hasn't even heard of (...) Hellhammer...

As the saying goes, "If you think of Hellhammer as the drummer of Mayhem - you're gay!" 😁

"Cult" is a term that—let's face it—gets thrown around way too loosely these days. For instance, back in the 80s, Metallica was considered a cult band while Iron Maiden wasn't quite there yet; nowadays, the situation has essentially flipped. Even Led Zeppelin weren't exactly a "cult" act originally, but today their following has narrowed enough that you could arguably call them a cult phenomenon.

Here is my personal list of legendary albums. I suppose the label "cult" should really be reserved for underground metal, black metal, or perhaps those niche bands that don't get massive radio play. Since

Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
Led Zeppelin - II
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
AC/DC - Highway to Hell
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
Motörhead - Ace of Spades
Deep Purple - Machine Head
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
Slayer - Reign in Blood

I've listed 13 albums here. Some fall under hard rock, some are more glam, and others are pure, unadulterated rock. I tried to pick just one representative album per group—of course, there’s plenty more that could be added, but I think this provides a decent cross-section. Every single one of these is excellent; I should clarify that, in my opinion, these are the legendary records that any self-respecting rocker or metalhead ought to hear at least once.

Metallica - Ride the Lightning
Megadeth - Rust in Peace... The Number of the Beast...
Lost Prophets—just a total imitation of progressive rock...
Stone Sour - Stone Sour
Alice in Chains — Facelift

Metallica - Master of Puppets
Pantera / Cowboys from Hell
Slayer - Hell Awaits
Annihilator / Black Widow / Megadeth
Megadeth - Cryptic Writings / Rust in Peace
Meshuggah / Erase / Improve
Dream Theater - Live Scenes from New York (just the SFAM part)
Control Denied / Death
Death - Symbolic

Everything from Ivica Šerfezi

Kevin Chavez3 said:Like the saying goes, "If you think of Hellhammer / Mayhem as the same thing, you're just wrong!" 😁

People are talking about Hellhammer being like some precursor to Celtic... 😁
Seriously, who even dug this thread up?????????? 🤔

METAL IN GENERAL

1. METALLICA - M.O.P. (honestly, still an unbeatable album for me. even if you don't usually dig them, this one's top tier regardless of taste. everything is just perfect—the riffs, the melodies, the songwriting... every single track has its own insane vibe)

2. Slayer - Show No Mercy (not gonna say much here 😁 , just pure, raw metal)

3. CARCASS - Heartwork (super well-written, killer musicianship, and the production is spot on)

4. EMPEROR - in The Nightside Eclipse (this record just radiates pure negative energy)

5. Morbid Angel - Domination (my favorite by far, even if critics didn't totally get it at the time)

BLACK METAL

1. EMPEROR - Eclipse ...
2. HADES - The Dawn of Dying Sun
3. IMMORTAL - Pure Holocaust
4. BURZUM - Hvis lyset tar oss
5. Adam Foster30 - De Misterius ...

DEATH METAL/GRINDCORE

1. Morbid Angel - Domination
3. TERRORIZER - World Downfall
3. MORGOTH - Odium
4. Vital Remains - Forever Underground 5. Death
5. DEATH - Scream Bloody Gore

THRASH / SPEED

1. METALLICA - M.O.P.
2. Slayer - Show No Mercy
3. TESTAMENT - The Legacy 4. Exodus - Bounded by Blood 5. Dark Angel - Darkness Descends

Cannibal Corpse

Death

Napalm Death

Morbid Angel

Metallica

Black Sabbath

FATHERS:
Jimi Hendrix: Are You Experienced?
Led Zeppelin: I
Blue Cheer: Vincebus Eruptum

REBELLIOUS SONS:
Stooges: Funhouse

HOLY SPIRITS:
Deep Purple: Machine Head
Black Sabbath: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Kiss: Destroyer

EVERYTHING ELSE:
Sleep: Dopesmoker
Fu Manchu: In Search of...
Mastodon: Remission
Cro-Mags: Age of Quarrel
High on Fire: Surrounded by Thieves
Saint Vitus: Born too late
Die Kreuzen: October File
S.O.D.: Speak English or Die
Nebula: Charged
Oneida: C'mon Let's Rock
Black Flag: Slip it in
Thee Hypnotics: Liver than God
Monster Magnet: Spine of God
Mudhoney: Superfuzz Bigmuff

Oh, excuse me, did I hear someone mention Stone Sour??!! Is that actually a side project involving the guys from Slipknot ??!! Honestly, I can't help but laugh! 😁